Monday, January 27, 2014
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Sajak 'Anjing Itu'
Anjing Itu
Anjing itu kurus kelabu
Lidah terjelir nafas termengah-mengah
Menjaga istana tuannya yang gemuk
Patuh setia, menerima dan menyerah
Anjing itu, sering menyalak-nyalak selalunya mendayu-dayu
Bukan kerana ada musuh
Tetapi minta makanan, perutnya lapar
Tuannya hanya mencampakkan cebis-cebis roti kering.
Anjing itu, tidak dibebaskan
Lehernya dirantai, punca digenggaman tuannya.
Anjing itu, bila perlu, diperah
Bagi menjaga keselamatan tuannya
Menjadi binatang lindungan desakan luar
Dan himpitan dalam
Begitu rupa nasib, anjing itu
Kurus kering, dalam semuanya tak cukupan
Hanya menanti rahim tuannya
Cebis-cebis roti kering
Dan tulang-tulang tak berdaging
Itulah jadi makanan, dan hidup jadi
Alat kesenangan manusia jahat memperhambakannya.
Siapa anjing
Hanya binatang setia.
3 Jun 1950.
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Usman Awang masih lagi penyajak kegemaran saya. Baca saja sajak di atas, bagaimana beliau menggambarkan keadaan seekor anjing yang digunakan oleh tuannya, tapi diabaikan kebajikannya.
Semasa saya mencari gambar anjing di googleimage untuk diletakkan disini, meruntun-runtun hati ini melihat gambar2 anjing yang didera oleh mereka yang digelar 'manusia'.
Ya, saya Muslim. Ya, saya tidak digalakkan menyentuh anjing dan jikalau saya menyentuh mereka, saya wajib menyamak tangan saya dengan membasuhnya sebanyak 6 kali air tanah dan sekali air mutla'. Tapi, adakah saya benci anjing? Tidak. mereka hamba ciptaan Allah Tuhanku dan mereka juga perlukan simpati dan kasih sayang. Cukup-cukuplah mendera anjing...
Friday, January 3, 2014
Dhoom 3
So I watched Dhoom 3 over the weekends. Yeah, I'm a hindi movie lover. I've been to cinemas watching hindi movies since I was 16 years old.
To make it short, Dhoom 3 is lousy; the movie suffers from style over substance. Some people might enjoy this kind of populist fare, but I need more soul. Not to say it was soul-less. The soup comes from the incomparable Aamir Khan. His presence in the movie is so larger than life and you can't take your eyes of him. Now, my favourite Khan is Shah Rukh, but arguably, Aamir is the best of the three. is shot
[SPOILERS. DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED}
As like the other two preceding Dhoom movies, it's about Jai the 'super cop' and his bumbling sidekick, Ali as they try to capture a genius criminal who has been robbing the Western Bank of Chicago that drives the bank to near bankruptcy. Sahir, played by Aamir Khan, is the perpetrator, in revenge against the bank's thoughtlessness to refuse his father's loan on the latter's Circus establishment, causing the old man to kill himself in front of his 7-year-old son. So the story is about convicting Sahir, who is an accomplished circus master and death defying stunt man.
Now the twist in the movie is that Sahir has a twin who is 'hidden' as a part of the trick in magic, Samar, also played by Aamir. Except Samar is a bit, erm, autistic, which means he's actually superior in circus performance but in everything else, is clipped by Sahir. Samar falls in love with Alisya, Katrina Kaif's character and Jai uses this to create a rift among the sibs.
However, what ever the movie lacked in execution, it gives a good ending, I think. In the end, Sahir turns over all the evidence of his crimes to Jai, if Jai would let Samar go and only blame him. Satisfied with Jai's promise, Sahir jumps from the top of a dam, only to be caught by Samar, who refuses to let go. Sahir pleads Samar to let him go and to live his life with Alisya, but Samar tells Sahir that he promised dad that he would never let Sahir go. So both the twins jump to their death not before i cried my eyes out.
GAAHHH. I dunno. I always expect to hate every suicidal scenario cuz it's stupid but this scene rips me. SIGH. Maybe because they are twins and I have this unhealthy obsession about them. Hee.
I have always thought about this conundrum of family vs love. How some people could run off with somebody they know in a few days as opposed to their family whom they have lived with for the rest of ther life? It boggles me. If I were to choose between a guy who I like and my family, who will I trust more? Of course the people whom I've known for as long as I have seen the world. So what Samar did was sad, yes. But more than that, he chose correctly though it was a bad decision. I love my sibs and it would hurt me very much if anything happens to them what more if it is among twins? The connection MUST be special and unfathomable.
Ok. Owh and the songs. Mind blowing yaar. My favourite is 'Malang Malang' which means nomad love. Pretty cool eh? It's picturisation is soo gorgeous I had to clap after it ended in the cinema! Videoclip of the song below.
Another is 'Kamli' Awesome too. Katrina dances like mad!
To sum it up, it was a high adrenaline ride, if you are up for that kind of thing. For me, my favorite scenes are between the twins and the ending. Call me sentimental fool but love comes in many kinds.
Drama Melayu
Masa cuti sekolah hari tu, duduk kampung dalam dua minggu sbb adik kawin (sorry informal language sbb nak cepat) So sbb adik2 tengok drama melayu je, terpaksa 'join' tengok. Banyak jugaklah walaupun tgk hanya satu episod je dan menyakitkan hati adik2 aku ngan soalan macam-macam. My siblings tengok PISA yg kat atas ni ngan satu drama baru yg dilakoni oleh Emma Maembong (i dunno know her. WHO?)
Ok, kalau tengok jalan cerita, memang tak sama (really?) tapi saya nak komplen yang hero dalam kedua2 drama ni sombong, arrogant (tak, sy tak tengok Mr Arrogant) tapi semua anak chaebols (ok, itu drama korea, ok) Pastu heroin semuanya 'terpaksa' kawin ngan mereka atas alasan 'perfect woman' etc etc.
I was like OMYGOD? Apa yang sebenarnya mesej yang disampaikan? Bahawa kalau isteri itu baik dan tabah dan bersabar, suami masing2 yg arrogant, kaki perempuan tuh akan berubah? Seriously? Or is the message 'perkahwinan itu merubah yg buruk kepada yang baik?'
Ok dah check, drama Emma Maembong berlakon tuh 'Projek memikat Suami'. So basically semua drama ni pasal nak cari husband? No wonderlah minda pelajar2 perempuan skang bising nak kawin.
Don't get me wrong, I xde masalah ngan perkahwinan. I would like to be married, yes but to devote and give all of yourself for marriage is bad. There's gotta be more to life than....?
Apa yang paling membimbangkan ialah drama2 ini memberi tanggapan pada bakal2 isteri bahawa bakal2 suami mereka boleh berubah menjadi lelaki paling baik, understanding, romantis lepas kawin dalam dua tiga bulan. THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN, GIRLS. Macam nilah. Awak nilai diri awak, do you like yourself? And awak rase you are a nice person kan? Imagine your husband asks you to change and permintaan tu tak munasabah because you like who you are and what you are now. Mungkin awak akan berubah, let's say suami suruh tidur pukul 10 mlm sbb kene bangun awal pukul 5 sedangkan awak dah biasa tidur pkl 2 pagi (ehem) dan bangun sembahyang subuh dinasour. Bengang kan? Susah kan? Macam tu jugaklah kalau nak merubah perangai husband awak tu...
When you don't accept each other then there's problem in that marriage. My parents are still married, Alhamdulillah tho they still argue like dogs and cats. But I have friends, 3 of them in fact, who married jerks and douchebags (who lives on his wife's money, doesn't help in housework or raising children and a male chauvinist pig whose lust rivals mr casanova) They were married for 7, 5 years and divorced because they couldn't stand the husbands who refuse to come out from that crap they live in. I'm not saying jangan tegur suami/isteri dan suruh mereka berubah, I'm saying perkahwinan banyak cabarannya dan menyuap orang dengan dongengan 'dia akan berubah' is just crap. Kita harus terima perubahan makan masa.
Dan lagi satu pasal the isteri2 yang sengsara tu-hampir semuanya malaikat pijak semut tak mati..! Mana ada. Kalau ada pun satu dalam sejuta. This notion that women have to be perfect pun bahaya dan boleh merosakkan rumahtangga. Wanita sempurna yang hebat dalam kerjaya tapi masih boleh mengurus anak2, rumah dan memasak tapi masih cantik macam supermodel? Really?
Is it possible tak to give me satu drama dimana suami-isteri tidak sempurna? Mungkin isteri pemalas, suami rajin tapi suami tak pandai masak dan isteri pandai masak? Cerita2 yang logik dan kupas isu2 masyarakat. Janganlah asyik membuai kami dalam mimpi2 indah romantis yang akhirnya membawa derita...
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
So Vampire Knight ended..
Ugh. That sums up what I feel about this manga. And I had so much hope. Obviously something went wrong somewhere. I, the fickle that I am, has abandoned this like, erm, ages since it turned into something like pandering to the fans. Oh ya, it ended on May 2013 so I was late. Better late than never :)
The ending was, umm, horrible? I have no words. I'm really glad I stopped reading and buying it. Let me be honest, I'm a Zero fan. I like his character, his good looks, no. He has the trappings of every bad thing around him but he grows up fine and wiser. Look, if you read the story from the beginning, a lot of his past was fleshed out meticulously, it's hard not to root for him. Unlike Kaname. I could sense this is the OTP the manga was building. So in the beginning I rooted for Zero-Yuki. I liked Yuki. She was a great character, she had a kind heart and she cared about Zero. Now she's just meh, trapped between two guys. And she could never pick one. Double meh. You know, you don't just build this fantastic relationship and then do a detour. It kills the story and makes the buildings a waste and waste my time.
Owh the ending. Apparently Yuki ends up with Zero only because Kaname died. Really. Argue with me all you want but I think Yuki really loved Kaname to the point she sacrificed herself for him (and if she really loved Zero, she wouldn't have feelings for Kaname) I could sense that the author was torn between the two factions. And I heard in Japan the Kaname faction rules. Yikes. So the author gives us the ending of Yuki having children of both men (don't ask) and Zero gets to spend 1000 years with Yuki. But you know what, Yuki loved Kaname more. And Zero doesn't deserve Yuki. He deserves someone better. I'd like it if Zero ended up with someone else (people don't always end up with people they love you know) and have those adorable twins. Let Yuki end up with Kaname sheesh.
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| Still the best image ever from VK! |
I don't judge a story by its ending, especially is the journey is great. VK has all that would make a great manga. It has great drawings too. Too bad it becomes sour halfway through. My favourite story arc is the arc of Zero and his twin, Ichiru. I feel so much for both of them, till now. That is what I will best remember VK about.
I'm glad it ended early. And one thing for sure I'm not gonna start a manga with ambigous OTP. Sucks.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Malaysia is number 56 in PISA for Reading, Maths and Science
I feel sad. Well, as an educator, I wish the results were better but then again, I am trapped in this education system that emphasizes on exams rather than learning and studying. Msia, apparently reads less than the average number and performs below average too in science and maths. I am not shocked. I am just disappointed. I hope, as a teacher, I am not churning out people who don't like reading but I hope I help in building people with character and sensitivities.
I am extremely jealous of students overseas who read at every chance they get. I do it too. But not my students. Not all of them, I know, but many of them. I read a lot of books but I think I'm the only one in my immediate surroundings who does it. My siblings don't share my enthusiasm and my parents even more. Not their fault but it's the way the society is constructed. I read Sherlock Holmes and nobody I know reads it. I really am alone. It's a struggle at school. I know many of my colleagues don't read so how am I suppose to inspire the students? And they read thrash like those romance novels. I did too. I was young too but I also read all those fantastic literature on the side.
Please read. Reading is for your soul like food is for your body.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Benefits of Being A Cat Owner
1. You're Smart!
A study of British pet owners found that people who owned cats tended to be smarter than their dog loving counterparts. Both in terms of IQ score and overall level of education, people who own cats come out on top in the brains department. It’s probably not the cat itself making you smarter, though; the researchers conducting the study said that smarter people tend to work longer hours, and since cats require less attention than dogs they are a better choice for the busy intellectual.2. It's Better for the Environment!
If you're worried about your carbon footprint, it’s better to own a cat. A 2009 study found that over its lifetime, the resources needed to feed a dog make the same eco-footprint as that of a Hummer. Meanwhile, cats—which eat less in general and are more likely to eat fish than corn or beef flavored products—only have the approximate carbon footprint of a Volkswagen Golf.3. Helping You Cope!
Losing a loved one is incredibly painful, but one of the best ways of coping is to own a pet. Cats have been shown to help people get over their loss more quickly, and show less physical symptoms of pain, like crying. Despite the fact that they are only animals, cats serve as a social support during difficult times. People in mourning report talking to their pet to work out their feelings, since it is often easier to talk to something that won’t respond and can’t judge than to another human being.4. Helping You Mate!
If you’re a single guy and you can’t seem to get a date, get a cat! A British poll found that 82 percent of women agreed they are more attracted to men who like animals. And while having a dog will do wonders for your dating life, a whopping 90 percent of single women said that men who own a cat are “nicer” than other guys. It seems women buy into the stereotype that cat owners are more sensitive and thoughtful, so listing that you own a cat on your dating profile could do wonders for the number of responses you get. But remember, a cat is for life, not just until you find a partner.5. Heart Health!
Owning any pet is good for your heart. Cats in particular lower your stress level—possibly since they don’t require as much effort as dogs—and lower the amount of anxiety in your life. Petting a cat has a positive calming effect. One study found that over a ten year period cat owners were 30 percent less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke than non-cat owners.6. Companionship!
The stereotype that dogs are more affectionate than cats is just that: a stereotype. In fact, it turns out that cats can be just as good companions as dogs, especially for women. A 2003 Swiss study found that having a cat in the house is the emotional equivalent of having a romantic partner. As well as initiating contact much of the time, studies have shown cats will remember kindness shown to them and return the favor later.But cats really do have the upper hand in these relationships. After thousands of years of domestication, cats have learned how to make a half purr/half howl noise that sounds remarkably like a human baby’s cry. And since our brains are programmed to respond to our children’s distress, it is almost impossible to ignore what a cat wants when it demands it like that.
7. A Reflection of Your Personality!
Owning a cat tells people a lot about your personality. While dog lovers tend to be the life of the party, cat owners are quieter and more introverted. However, they score very highly when it comes to how trustworthy they are and how much they trust other people. Cat owners are also less manipulative and more modest.
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